Posts Tagged ‘transmission’
Is asymptomatic transmission the major driver of the COVID-19 pandemic?
In this week’s research article, we discuss whether asymptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 is the major driver of the COVID-19 pandemic. The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 can be spread readily during close contact. The extent to which asymptomatic infection (that is, an infection without symptoms) drives transmission is important but not clear. Evidence suggests that…
Read MoreCOVID-19 transmission: droplet, contact, or aerosol?
There has been lots of recent controversy about the transmission route(s) of COVID-19. Some argue that, like influenza, droplet transmission is the most important route. Others that contact transmission is most important. And others still that aerosol transmission is the key – and that this has been underplayed, so fuelling the pandemic. There is undoubtedly…
Read MoreAssessing the risk of hospital transmission of COVID-19
As hospitals move past the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the risk of hospital-transmission looms large. Elective services will reopen and patients who have not been exposed to COVID-19 as a result of the broadly successful lockdown will come into hospitals and risk exposure to patient (and staff) with COVID-19 infections. How big is this…
Read MoreInfection prevention experts answer your top coronavirus questions
Our infection prevention experts and scientists answer some of the general public’s biggest questions surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. With answers from our Clinical and Science & Innovation teams. [If you’re a healthcare professional, you should follow local, national and international guidance on the matter as appropriate]. Do face masks actually protect you against coronavirus?…
Read MoreChoosing the right disinfectant wipe
There is a wide range of options when choosing the most appropriate disinfectant wipe. The University Hospitals Birmingham (UHB), that prompted this series, evidenced that switching from one disinfectant wipe strategy to a more effective one resulted in improved patient outcomes. Several factors influence the choice of wipe: intended application, range of microbial efficacy, staff acceptability and cost.The key consideration when selecting a…
Read MoreThe biofilm challenge for cleaning, disinfection, and sterilisation
In the AJIC special issue on ‘Disinfection, sterilization, and antisepsis’, there is a helpful State-of-the-Science mini-review on the importance of biofilms in medical device reprocessing and healthcare surface disinfection. The review covers the growing appreciation that biofilms present a tough challenging to cleaning, disinfection, and sterilisation attempts for both medical devices and surfaces in healthcare settings. The review draws…
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